A selection of readers’ opinions.

Speaking up

Indians never have and perhaps never will understand the concept of freedom of speech and expression (“Assam: Congress files complaint after BJP MP allegedly equates ideas of Nehru, Gandhi to ‘garbage’”). Such complaints, made by both the BJP and the Congress in the past, are mostly unfounded and have no backing in law. It is natural for political leaders to speak foul of each other and they should not be booked for every thing they say, unless it is really defamatory in nature. The elitism and partisan attitude shown by the liberals of our society because of their own ideological leanings is sickening at times. As a fellow liberal feel that the discourse of our fundamental principles is now sadly lost in unnecessary ideological noise and the political slug-fest. We want our liberties and freedoms without state telling us what to speak,when to speak and how much to speak. – Akshay Arya

Take a stand

If standing up for the national anthem in movie halls is mandatory, can the government ensure that what is played is proper Anthem (“Despite Supreme Court comments, you still need to stand for the national anthem in movie theatres”)? Some cinema plays a version of the song that does have Tagore’s lyrics but an altered tune. If changing the design and colour of the national flag is a crime, why is such distortion of the tune of our national anthem being allowed? I do not mind being arrested for not standing up for a song that is not the national anthem of my nation. – Mridula Menon

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Patriotism, just like love and respect for parents, need not be demonstrated. It should be imbibed into the culture and upbringing of children. If you truly want what’s best for the country, stop corrupt leaders from exercising power. – NS Murty

For books’ sake

As a publishing professional myself, I started reading this article with interest (“If you’re wondering how to raise a feminist, Indian publishing houses might have an answer”). I think that independent publishing in India can do wonders, not just with regard to social issues but also with regard to overhauling publishing industry itself. However, this article seemed like a lazy attempt and read more like a promotion of a particular publishing house. What about others? What about other regions? What about vernacular publishing?

I rate Scroll.in very highly and the website provides engaging and informative content. I hope you will exercise more care in the future! – Aakash Chakrabarty

Shutting shop

It made me very sad to hear about Pune’s Kayani Bakery being asked to shut down (“Pune’s Kayani Bakery, two other restaurants asked to shut down: The Times of India”). The eatery had made the famous “Pune cake” for decades, and is famous all over the world! Instead of letting it close down, the government should step in, look at its contribution to Pune’s culture and help the brand expand internationally. – Alifiya Noble Bandukwala

But meeting Nitoo, with her cameras almost as big as she was, was an exhilarating experience. We continue to follow her work. I hope she publishes her photos of birds for the world to see. Hats off to her for her incredible work. – Allan de Noronha

About time

I don’t have any bias against or towards any media person, but sometimes the intent and timing of a certain article are questionable (“‘Hardly new’, says former NDTV anchor Barkha Dutt after channel takes down Jay Shah story”). For instance, why is Barkha Dutt talking about her reasons for parting with NDTV all this time later? There are many truths about one self, society, government and the media itself that even the most honest report will not reveal in full. Striking a balance is a part of freedom of expression. Moreover, one’s past mistakes always come back to haunt, usually at an inconvenient time. For Dutt, it’s her alleged involvement in the Radia tapes. These are all a part of the games the media and the government play, which viewers end up being easy prey for. – Arun Singh

Ways of seeing

Traditionalism is not the answer to current-day social and psychological problems (“‘Psychology syllabus must be tweaked for Indian context’: UGC panel member Girishwar Misra”). Let each department decide what it wants to focus on and model its courses accordingly. There are different perceptions of psychology even perceived differently by the senior and younger generation psychologists too. We have a tradition of unity in diversity. Uniformity in thinking across the country is not the answer. – Manisha

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I am opposed to the idea of modifying the psychology syllabus to make it culturally relevance for many reasons. Psychology should not be looked at as a subject meant for Indian adaptation but as a course that meets international standards. Cultural adaptations can be made to any course without indigenising it entirely. course. Every psychologist across the world is trained to work with cultural sensitivity. This is perhaps what needs to be emphasised among psychologists in India, if at all it has been observed that they are insensitive to local culture. If psychology courses are completely Indianised, graduates risks being disconnected from a global fellowship of psychologists because there would be no common ground. This would also make it difficult for them to pursue courses abroad. It will also discourage foreign students from coming to study in India. Already, many foreign students are complaining about the fact that many lecturers in India universities use Hindi or other regional languages while teaching even when they have international students in such classes. – Diti Olawale

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A similar exercise was conducted by the UGC about 15 years back. Under its direction, most of the universities adopted model syllabi in a wide range of subjects, including psychology. But the attempt went in vain because there has been a dearth of qualified faculty for in all higher educational institutions particularly, in the state universities, over the the last two decades. If the UGC is genuinely interested in reforms, it must first look into the appointment of qualified full-time teachers. – AK Srivastava

Adopting three simple habits can help maximise the benefits of existing sanitation infrastructure.

India’s sanitation problem is well documented – the country was recently declared as having the highest number of people living without basic sanitation facilities. Sanitation encompasses all conditions relating to public health - especially sewage disposal and access to clean drinking water. Due to associated losses in productivity caused by sickness, increased healthcare costs and increased mortality, India recorded a loss of 5.2% of its GDP to poor sanitation in 2015. As tremendous as the economic losses are, the on-ground, human consequences of poor sanitation are grim - about one in 10 deaths, according to the World Bank.

Poor sanitation contributes to about 10% of the world’s disease burden and is linked to even those diseases that may not present any correlation at first. For example, while lack of nutrition is a direct cause of anaemia, poor sanitation can contribute to the problem by causing intestinal diseases which prevent people from absorbing nutrition from their food. In fact, a study found a correlation between improved sanitation and reduced prevalence of anaemia in 14 Indian states. Diarrhoeal diseases, the most well-known consequence of poor sanitation, are the third largest cause of child mortality in India. They are also linked to undernutrition and stunting in children - 38% of Indian children exhibit stunted growth. Improved sanitation can also help reduce prevalence of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Though not a cause of high mortality rate, NTDs impair physical and cognitive development, contribute to mother and child illness and death and affect overall productivity. NTDs caused by parasitic worms - such as hookworms, whipworms etc. - infect millions every year and spread through open defecation. Improving toilet access and access to clean drinking water can significantly boost disease control programmes for diarrhoea, NTDs and other correlated conditions.

Unfortunately, with about 732 million people who have no access to toilets, India currently accounts for more than half of the world population that defecates in the open. India also accounts for the largest rural population living without access to clean water. Only 16% of India’s rural population is currently served by piped water.

However, there is cause for optimism. In the three years of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the country’s sanitation coverage has risen from 39% to 65% and eight states and Union Territories have been declared open defecation free. But lasting change cannot be ensured by the proliferation of sanitation infrastructure alone. Ensuring the usage of toilets is as important as building them, more so due to the cultural preference for open defecation in rural India.

According to the World Bank, hygiene promotion is essential to realise the potential of infrastructure investments in sanitation. Behavioural intervention is most successful when it targets few behaviours with the most potential for impact. An area of public health where behavioural training has made an impact is WASH - water, sanitation and hygiene - a key issue of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6. Compliance to WASH practices has the potential to reduce illness and death, poverty and improve overall socio-economic development. The UN has even marked observance days for each - World Water Day for water (22 March), World Toilet Day for sanitation (19 November) and Global Handwashing Day for hygiene (15 October).

At its simplest, the benefits of WASH can be availed through three simple habits that safeguard against disease - washing hands before eating, drinking clean water and using a clean toilet. Handwashing and use of toilets are some of the most important behavioural interventions that keep diarrhoeal diseases from spreading, while clean drinking water is essential to prevent water-borne diseases and adverse health effects of toxic contaminants. In India, Hindustan Unilever Limited launched the Swachh Aadat Swachh Bharat initiative, a WASH behaviour change programme, to complement the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Through its on-ground behaviour change model, SASB seeks to promote the three basic WASH habits to create long-lasting personal hygiene compliance among the populations it serves.

This touching film made as a part of SASB’s awareness campaign shows how lack of knowledge of basic hygiene practices means children miss out on developmental milestones due to preventable diseases.

Play

SASB created the Swachhata curriculum, a textbook to encourage adoption of personal hygiene among school going children. It makes use of conceptual learning to teach primary school students about cleanliness, germs and clean habits in an engaging manner. Swachh Basti is an extensive urban outreach programme for sensitising urban slum residents about WASH habits through demos, skits and etc. in partnership with key local stakeholders such as doctors, anganwadi workers and support groups. In Ghatkopar, Mumbai, HUL built the first-of-its-kind Suvidha Centre - an urban water, hygiene and sanitation community centre. It provides toilets, handwashing and shower facilities, safe drinking water and state-of-the-art laundry operations at an affordable cost to about 1,500 residents of the area.

HUL’s factory workers also act as Swachhata Doots, or messengers of change who teach the three habits of WASH in their own villages. This mobile-led rural behaviour change communication model also provides a volunteering opportunity to those who are busy but wish to make a difference. A toolkit especially designed for this purpose helps volunteers approach, explain and teach people in their immediate vicinity - their drivers, cooks, domestic helps etc. - about the three simple habits for better hygiene. This helps cast the net of awareness wider as regular interaction is conducive to habit formation. To learn more about their volunteering programme, click here. To learn more about the Swachh Aadat Swachh Bharat initiative, click here.

This article was produced by the Scroll marketing team on behalf of Hindustan Unilever and not by the Scroll editorial team.